High above the battlefield, the blinding light of Mega Evolution slowly faded.
A colossal figure emerged from within it.
Gyarados hovered in the storm, nearly sixteen meters long, its body covered in hard blue dragon scales. Long horns rose from the top of its head, and fearsome fins flared from either side of its neck like the crest of a sea dragon.
Its powerful claws gripped the scorching Flame Clouds beneath it.
No longer just a sea serpent.
A true dragon.
"RRRROOOAAH!"
It raised its head and roared toward the heavens.
The sound rolled across the sky.
In an instant, dark clouds swallowed the mountaintop again.
KRA-BOOM! KRAKOOOM!
Lightning flashed within the thick clouds, thunder crashed, and a moment later, torrential rain poured down over the battlefield.
The faceless man stared at the colossal Gyarados in the air, feeling the pressure radiating from its body.
His expression turned grave.
"Is that the same kind of transformation as the Beedrill from earlier?"
His eyes narrowed.
"What incredible power... Its strength rose that much in one evolution?"
He did not let the shock slow him down for long.
"Aerodactyl, Stone Edge. Three shots. Cut off its escape routes."
"SKRRAAA!"
Aerodactyl cried sharply, and earth-yellow energy flared around its body.
Chunks of rock tore free from the battlefield below and shot into the sky. In an instant, they gathered into three massive stone lances, each more than two meters long and dense with Rock-type energy.
They flew toward Gyarados in formation, one aimed straight ahead while the other two sealed off both sides.
Aaron's voice remained calm.
"Gyarados, Hurricane. Block them."
"GRRRAAAOOH!"
The dragon roared, and deep blue energy surged from its body. A violent cyclone formed around it, spinning faster and faster until it became a colossal storm.
The incoming stones slammed into the raging wind.
KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!
One after another, the Stone Edges were swallowed by the Hurricane, ground down into sand and gravel, and scattered into the rain.
Aaron's eyes sharpened.
"Thunder Destruction."
"RRRRAAAAGH!"
Lightning crawled across Gyarados's body, and the storm clouds above the mountain answered at once.
Thunder rolled like a Legendary beast roaring in fury.
Then a colossal bolt of lightning crashed down toward Aerodactyl.
KRA-BOOM!
"Aerodactyl, climb! Dodge it!"
The faceless man's voice turned sharp.
In the games, Thunder was guaranteed to hit in rain.
But this was reality.
If a Pokémon was fast enough, and if it avoided contact with water conducting the strike, even lightning could be dodged.
Aerodactyl had that kind of speed.
Its wings snapped open, and it shot upward like an arrow, barely avoiding the falling bolt.
Aaron had no intention of letting it escape that easily.
"Blanket the area. Large-scale Thunder Destruction."
"GRRROOOAAH!"
Gyarados roared again.
The clouds above the mountaintop erupted.
KRA-BOOM! KRAKOOOM! THRAKOOOM!
Countless bolts of lightning came crashing down at once, turning the sky into a cage of thunder.
For a split second, Aerodactyl froze.
Its jaw nearly dropped.
How am I supposed to dodge that?
It was completely boxed in.
KRA-BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck it directly.
"SKRREEE-AAH!"
Aerodactyl let out a sharp cry of pain as electricity tore through its body.
The faceless man's expression changed.
"Aerodactyl, hold on!"
He knew that if he let Gyarados keep controlling the battlefield like this, Aerodactyl would be burned out of the sky.
"Sky Attack. Break through!"
"RAAAK!"
A fierce light flashed in Aerodactyl's eyes.
Deep blue energy erupted from its body, wrapping around it completely. In the next instant, that energy expanded into the shape of a colossal blue bird, its wings spreading more than ten meters across the sky.
"SKRREEE-AH!"
The cry tore through the storm clouds.
The blue energy bird spread its wings, carrying overwhelming pressure as it soared through the rain and lightning.
Apotheosis-tier Sky Attack.
Its power was terrifying.
The giant bird tore through the lightning cage and charged straight toward Gyarados at blinding speed.
Aaron's expression turned serious.
This was Aerodactyl's strongest strike.
Then he would meet it with Gyarados's strongest charge.
"Gyarados."
His voice cut through the roar of the storm.
"Full-body Armament."
The Hurricane still howled around the massive dragon, making it look like a storm given shape.
"Blazing Dragon Rush."
"RRRROOOAAH!"
Black Armament Haki spread across its entire body, covering every scale like hardened steel.
The blue dragon became black.
Then flames erupted.
FWOOM!
Raging fire wrapped around the armored body. The cyclone contracted around it, feeding the flames and carrying the storm's tearing force into the charge.
Wind and fire merged.
Armor and dragon power fused.
This was the combination move Aaron had created for Gyarados.
Armament: Blazing Dragon Rush.
Even Aaron did not know exactly how powerful it would be.
His eyes burned as he shouted into the storm.
"Go, Gyarados!"
His voice cut through the storm.
"Break through head-on!"
"Armament: Blazing Dragon Rush!"
"GRRRAAAOOOH!"
Wrapped in black armor, fire, and hurricane winds, Gyarados roared and dove.
Its massive body became a blazing storm dragon, crashing straight toward the enormous blue energy bird charging from below.
...